Die Religiöse Gedankenwelt des Volkes im heutigen Islam

the long version

Horten undertakes in this volume to portrait what the Islamic people ( as opposed to the educated classes) feel and live as essence and meaning of their religion. (p. XI) Religion which he calls a tender blossom of the culture of humanity must be described not exclusively by its external material phenomena. (p. X) A religion has not to be judged with respect to truth in a scientific sense but from its influence on morals and emotions (p. XXII) The presentation follows what Horton believes would be the degree of importance in a believers mind, starting with the views on god and creation,then going on to the "system of the world". A summary of the popular view of Muhammad is followed by chapters about the world of spirits and angels,about the celestial bodies and spheres. The latter half of the book is devoted to the concepts of practical ethics. The material presented seems to be largely taken from another book of the author. The book could be viewed as an early example of inter-cultural awareness training ( still going strong in Germany) against the background of the German-Turkish alliance in WW I.